Jawbone slashes 15 percent of global workforce, closes NYC office

Jawbone, the consumer electronics and wearable products specialist out of San Francisco, recently laid off 15 percent of its global workforce according to a report from TechCrunch.

A spokesperson for Jawbone said the company’s success over the past 15 years has been rooted in its ability to evolve and grow dynamically in a rapidly scaling marketplace. As part of its strategy to create a more streamlined and successful company, Jawbone said it made the difficult decision to reorganize which has had an impact on its global workforce.

Sources familiar with the matter told the publication that 60 employees from all areas of the business have been let go as part of the restructuring. What’s more, the company is reportedly closing its marketing office in New York City and downsizing at its Pittsburgh and Sunnyvale locations.

Jawbone has faced increased competition from both fitness-minded companies like Fitbit and smartwatch makers intent on boosting the robustness of their wearables by integrating activity tracking features such as heartbeat monitors and the like.

Back in May, the company filed a lawsuit against several former employees, alleging they took confidential documents and trade secrets to their new employer when they left. Re/code last month reported that Jawbone received a preliminary injunction and that the ex-employees were forced to hand over all “confidential, proprietary information, technical data, trade secrets or know-how.”

It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as Jawbone’s UP3 fitness tracker was recently named as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things of 2015. For a limited time, you can score 20 percent off the wearable using coupon code Oprah20.